Purdy details 49ers' challenges vs. Vikings' blitz-heavy defense

Purdy details 49ers' challenges vs. Vikings' blitz-heavy defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Brock Purdy arguably had his worst 49ers game against the Cleveland Browns’ elite defense last Sunday.

But with the Minnesota Vikings' pressure-inducing defense awaiting in Week 7, Purdy quickly has to turn the page.

After Friday’s practice, San Francisco’s second-year quarterback discussed what challenges the 49ers’ offense will face in Minnesota.

“Boy, do they love playing in that realm of pressure and hoping they get the quarterback or get guys to mess up, force the ball to be turned over,” Purdy told reporters. “I feel like that’s more of what they like to do. But, this team is good because they’ll show everyone coming and they bluff out.”

The Vikings are a tricky matchup for Purdy since their defensive coordinator Brian Flores runs a blitz-heavy scheme while sprinkling in decoy rushers. In fact, Minnesota leads the NFL in plays defended with at least five rushers, sending heat on 60.5 percent of snaps.

However, the 49ers faced a similar defense in their Week 3 home opener against the New York Giants at Levi’s Stadium, where Purdy saw a blitz on 84.6 percent of his dropbacks. In that game, when facing the blitz, Purdy torched New York’s defense and threw for 247 yards with two touchdown passes over 31 plays.

The Vikings force quarterbacks to make ill-advised decisions because of their pressure paired with their zone defense, which isn’t ideal, per Purdy.

Besides needing to handle the Vikings’ pressure, he must recognize Minnesota’s coverages pre-snap.

“I’d say man-to-man coverage, as a quarterback, I think it’s a little nicer just because you know where your answers are supposed to be,” Purdy explained to reporters. “Zone coverage, it could be a more tricky area because you have a progression. You got to move on from guys, and guys can be dropping underneath guys. Man [coverage], you know one guy is covering this guy and I have a chance when he breaks, knowing that no one is going to undercut it.”

Purdy will have to figure out which defensive backs are covering his receivers before making a decision, which is a tough task when having limited time in the pocket like in Week 6 against the Browns.

In the 49ers' 19-17 loss to the Browns, Purdy completed just 12 of 27 passes for 125 yards with a touchdown pass while also throwing his first interception of the season.

With the 5-1 49ers aiming to return to the win column, Mr. Irrelevant must be relevant against the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Minnesota will try to replicate Cleveland's performance against San Francisco's juggernaut of an offense.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast